NYON, Switzerland (AP) — UEFA has banned defender Dejan Lovren from Croatia’s opening European Championship qualifier after he appeared in a video insulting Spain.

The video was posted shortly after Croatia beat Spain 3-2 in November. It featured Lovren mocking Spain and appearing to hint ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool was six points clear at the top of the English Premier League after strolling past Newcastle 4-0 at Anfield on Wednesday.

While defending champion Manchester City was losing for the second game in a row, at Leicester, Juergen Klopp’s men were showing how ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Riyad Mahrez missed an 85th-minute penalty as Manchester City wasted a chance to move clear of Premier League title rival Liverpool following a 0-0 draw at Anfield on Sunday.

The two teams started the highly anticipated encounter locked together at the top of the ...

MOSCOW (AP) — The rain hid Croatia’s tears.

After Luka Modric collected his Golden Ball award in a downpour, he shared an emotional embrace with Croatian President Kolinda Grabar-Kitarovic, both wearing the country’s red-and-white checkered uniform.

Croatia knows Sunday’s 4-2 loss to ...

MOSCOW (AP) — Protest group Pussy Riot, long a thorn in Vladimir Putin’s side, claimed responsibility Sunday for four people who brought the World Cup final to a brief halt by running onto the field dressed in police uniforms as the Russian president and a global audience watched.

Stewards ...

MOSCOW (AP) — A billion-dollar assembly of stars makes France the favorite for the World Cup final, a scenario that Dejan Lovren is pitching as perfect for Croatia’s biggest ever game.

“We love to be the underdogs,” Lovren said in the wake of Croatia’s England 2-1 extra-time win over ...

MOSCOW (AP) — The Latest on Wednesday at the World Cup (all times local):

2 a.m.

Croatia defender Dejan Lovren says people should show him more respect now he’s going to play in a World Cup final.

Lovren says “I deserve this” ...

SOCHI, Russia (AP) — Croatia was there at England’s lowest ebb this century in international soccer, and it’ll be there as the English team tries to peak.

For many England supporters, the 3-2 loss to Croatia in November 2007 was a national embarrassment. Coach Steve McClaren’s tactics ...

ROSCHINO, Russia (AP) — They are hardly the words Lionel Messi and Argentina wanted to hear with their World Cup future hanging in the balance.

Dejan Lovren raised the likelihood of Croatia resting players for its last group game against Iceland, as much to protect the six who are ...

OSIJEK, Croatia (AP) — Former Dinamo Zagreb director Zdravko Mamic was sentenced Wednesday to 6 1/2 years in prison for embezzlement and tax evasion over deals that included the sale of Croatia World Cup stars Luka Modric and Dejan Lovren.

Mamic, 58, was not in court in the eastern town of ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — There were times this season when it felt like Dejan Lovren’s days at Liverpool were numbered.

Like when the defender was substituted 31 minutes into a humiliating 4-1 loss at Tottenham in the English Premier League in October, having been at fault for the opening ...

ZAGREB, Croatia (AP) — In possibly their last World Cup as midfield partners, Luka Modric and Ivan Rakitic were named Monday in the provisional Croatia squad for the tournament in Russia.

Modric’s focus could be distracted by perjury charges he faces in his country for testimony about ...

BURNLEY, England (AP) — Ragnar Klavan headed home from close range in the fourth minute of stoppage time to earn Liverpool a 2-1 win at Burnley in the Premier League on Monday.

The Estonia defender got on the end of a nod-down by fellow center back Dejan Lovren to grab the winner at Turf ...

BOURNEMOUTH, England (AP) — Mohamed Salah reached 20 goals in all competitions in his first season for Liverpool by scoring in a 4-0 win over Bournemouth that lifted his team into the Premier League’s top four on Sunday.

In a devastating attacking display by Liverpool on the south coast, ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Wayne Rooney converted a 77th-minute penalty as Everton snatched a point in a 1-1 draw at Liverpool in the Merseyside derby in the Premier League on Sunday.

Liverpool took the lead through Mohamed Salah’s league-high 13th goal of the campaign and dominated the ...

LIVERPOOL, England (AP) — Liverpool was undermined by more defensive sloppiness and a missed penalty in a 2-2 draw with Sevilla in a Champions League match that featured two sendings-off and a spat between coaching staff at Anfield on Wednesday.

Joaquin Correa earned a point for Sevilla by ...

LONDON (AP) — Southampton is one win away from proving that a club can succeed despite losing a string of top players.

The team from the England’s south coast will be at Wembley Stadium on Sunday to face Manchester United in the League Cup final, looking to win its first major trophy in 41 ...